The Empire
by Alexander the seventy-fifth
Summary: With the Borgia's empire steadly growing, it goes without saying that they would eventualy reach Venezia. And as they secure their foothold in the city, only one thing can hope to expel them. But how can only one single guild of thieves fight an army?
1. Chapter 1

**Note: this takes place during the gap in the timeline 1503-1507. If you played AC: Brotherhood you would know what I'm talking about. I am stretching the limits of what I could do with the time line in the 10 year jump in AC2, if 10 is not the right number of years please tell me, it would be greatly appreciated. **_**Grazie mia amici.**_

_The Empire_

The sun set majestically in the background as the thieves set to work, putting on the uniforms of the Doge's guards, gathering the supplies they would need, and Antonio was pacing in his office, drinking from a steaming cup as he rolled the plan over in his head once more. Venezia had fallen into chaos over the years since Ezio had left. It had started slowly, a suspicious man near the guild's district, an unscheduled ship coming in for dock; it was all part of a plan. The Borgia were not satisfied with Roma anymore, they craved for more, and so they took Florence first, the massacre had been astounding, Medici and the Borgia's men alike raged through the streets, conflicts breaking out whenever the other was seen.

The Medici held their ground for a year in the city, but their numbers had dwindled down to only a couple dozen troops before long. This was when Lorenzo had sent word to Ezio Auditore Di Firenze, the Assassin. The letter, however, did not reach the young Auditore, having been intercepted by the Borgia's men surrounding the city. So then the Medici family fell from power, the Borgia's flag pinned to the chest of Lorenzo Medici as his body was paraded through the streets as a symbol of their victory. And it hadn't been a year after before the first of the Borgia's men began to occupy Venezia. The Doge had been against this, speaking out directly before the Borgia commanders, but they eventually silenced him. In his place one of the Borgia's men was appointed to replace the Doge, a plump man with an appetite for control, and woman, especially young woman.

The man was sick, twisted, and needed to be put down, and with the same tactic the Borgia used in Florence, any contact with the Assassin's was cutoff, and remained that way for seven years. Seven years of hell in Venezia, the thieves hunted like animals, hung in public, even brought before the masses of Venezia and brutally beaten. Antonio was being stalked all the same; several of their own had made attempts to assassinate him, sworn over to the Borgia for coin and comfort. His own blade had tasted the blood of his thieves; the attempts on his life had left him paranoid, desperate, and looking for something. What he looked for was not material, or a weapon, it was just a way to get to Ezio, he had heard the rumors of a white hooded assassin in Roma, building a brotherhood of assassins to fight the Borgia. But he had also heard the story of Mario's death, and that of Monteriggioni, the siege had supposedly taken both of the Auditore's lives. When they heard the news it shocked him to no end, the mere though of Ezio's death was devastating at the least.

He wasn't the only one to be affected by hearing the death of Ezio Auditore, all of the thieves felt it as well, but most of all Rosa. When she had been told the news she went ballistic, her knife had found its way to the unfortunate messenger's throat as she threatened to kill him for saying such a vile lie. The thieves were able to get Rosa off the poor man, bringing her to Antonio at his own command so he could have a talk with her. It hadn't gone much better with Antonio than with the messenger. She had screamed in his face, listed off vile names for him and everyone who had made the ingenious decision to look in on them, and she had also broken down in her father figure's arms and cried. She had vowed that day to kill whoever had killed Ezio, never once mentioning his name directly; he guessed it was too painful for her. At the moment she was running ahead of them with two others to scout out the defenses of the Doge's palace, and to 'silently' clear the way there. He only hopped they would get out alive.

00100

Rosa and the two other thieves quickly made their way across the rooftops, eliminating any guard who was posted in their way, put something was off. It was easy, too easy to slip past the Borgia's defenses, almost as if a path had been perfectly marked for their entry. She pulled herself up and onto the ledge she had leapt to from the previous rooftop, the three had decided to reach a higher rooftop to map out the guards' positions. The view from the rooftops was fantastic; she could almost make a map of where the guards were, as well as where the Doge ate his dinner.

"Hey guys! Get up here, the view's great!" she called back down to her 'slower' companions and waited for a reply. "Hey! Did you guys fall or sleep or something? We got a job to do!" Still not getting an answer she turned back to yell at them face to face, but instead of her companions waiting there she found a razor sharp sword pointing right at her neck.

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" The guard mockingly questioned her, "Thieves this close to the Doge's palace? Aren't you a little bit out of your league girl?"

"_Bastardo,"_ she sneered.

"Oh that's not very nice; I think we'll have to teach this girl a lesson." He gestured behind him, addressing his fellows holding the other two thieves. "Kill them."

"No!" she lurched forward as the guards plunged the thieves' own daggers into their owner's chests. Two guards came behind her and grabbed her arms, securing her where she stood. The leader of the guards turned back to her, his sword sheathed but his hand still resting on his sword belt.

"Now," he said as he slid the back of his hand against her cheek, smirking sadistically as he did so, "What to do with _you."_ The two holding her still laughed as she jerked her head away from the leader's hand, a look of disgust and hatred burned onto her face. The guard opened his mouth to continue his sadistic game, but found he couldn't as he suddenly fell to Rosa's feet, an arrow lodged through the back of his head. The guards holding her fell equally limp as the deadly tips ripped into their flesh. And then she found all the guards dead at her feet, the vile leader who had planned to rape her, the two who had held her in his reach, and the two who had killed her friends, all dead.

Shadows began to stir around her and slowly they started to come towards her. Soon the shadows took shape, white robes with deep cowls hiding their faces, men and woman alike in their ranks. She starred in wonder as five of the white robed figures stepped from the shadows, all bearing the same seal on their belts, the seal of the Assassins. She barely breathed as one of them passed her, kneeling down and closing the guard's eyes with a flick of its wrist before whishing the guard peace in death.

Just as she began to ask them who they were she was cut off by the scream of a man from across the street, the Borgia's corrupt Doge. He had seen the handiwork of the assassins and was screaming for the guards, running for his life. As he rounded the corner of the rooftop he was cut off, a flurry of flowing white robes stopping the fleeing man in his tracks. The Assassin slowly eased the man's dying body to the ground, a strange feeling of remembrance filling her as she saw the Assassin's robes. They were noticeably different than the others; his belt had different patterns woven into it, the same symbol of the Assassins still in the center. Red drapes came down from a sash drawn across his waist securely, he had metal armor on him, stronger looking than the plates worn by the Assassins around her.

She saw him mumble a few words before he did something strange, he took a feather from his belt and dragged it over the trickle of blood that was oozing from the side of his mouth. He tucked the feather inside the Doge's lips and stood up from the dead man's body, looking to his left spotting the mass of Borgia soldiers rushing to the scene. He lifted his left hand and tightened it in a fist, and the assassins acted accordingly to the command. Swiftly they returned to the shadows, disappearing into the night just as silently as the legends said. The soldiers rounded the corner and found the single form of the head Assassin standing over the dead body of the Borgia's Doge.

"Stop him!" A soldier shouted to the others around him, "Stop the _assassino!"_ The guards charged the Assassin, and she watched as he turned, pausing only to send the smirk that had haunted the posters all over the city for years, and then he jumped. He disappeared over the edge of the wall while the soldiers looked over the ledge frantically searching for the disappearing Assassin…

00100

Hours later Rosa could be found storming down the halls of the guild's headquarters, heading strait to Antonio's office. Several thieves heard her cursing Antonio to be plagued by a whore the next time he met one. As she stormed down the halls she tried to force the vivid picture of the Assassin who had killed the Doge out of her mind, mostly because he had given the guards the same smirk, the exact same smirk that the _Assassino Di Firenze_ had become infamous for. The only difference between the two was his robes and beard, the last time she had seen Ezio he had been cleanly shaved. But she still couldn't get it out of her head, the picture lingering like subtle pain just after she had recovered from the arrow in her thigh over ten years ago.

The doors of Antonio's office were flung open by the fuming form of Rosa, her fiery accusations coming out before Antonio could even say a word. "What the hell happened at the Doge's palace? Who where they!" Rosa's glare suddenly caught the form of a blond haired woman standing next to Antonio's desk, robes almost identical to Ezio's drawn over her body. "And who the hell is she!"

Antonio cover his eyes with his hands for a second, musing on what to say when the woman cut into Rosa's shouts.

"So you must be Rosa," the woman said, "_Il Mentore _sends his regards and apology for arriving late."

"Who the hell is _Il Mentore?_" Rosa continued with the fire still in her words.

"He is our mentor, our leader." The woman continued, "He is also our best."

"Then what are you!" Rosa asked heatedly.

"They are like Ezio," Antonio cut in, "they are known as the Brotherhood, the Brotherhood of Assassins." The Assassin next to Antonio gave a small bow before speaking again, her eyes a cold blue that reminded her of an eagle.

"He is correct, my name is Anetta, and I am a student of _Il Mentore_ myself." Anetta paced in front of Rosa as she continued, "and I was only given the title _Assassino_ two months ago, so I am not considered to be a high ranking member of the Brotherhood. I was sent here to give Antonio any assistance he will need to take out targets that _Il Mentore _marked on this map." Anetta pointed to a map pinned to the wall next to her, several places circled in red. "I was also instructed to give this to the thief we saved from the guards." Anetta produced a letter from her belt, the small rolled up paper slightly bigger than Rosa's hand. "_Mentore _wrote it himself."

Huffing, Rosa took the letter and stuffed it into her pocket before she moved around the Assassin and walking strait to Antonio, "Why the hell didn't you tell me!" she hissed at him. Obviously getting annoyed at Rosa's behavior Antonio ran a hand through his hair before he turned and answered her question.

"Because I only learned of this an hour ago, after you had already left." He mentally sighed and continued, "Anyways I think you should get some rest, we have much to do tomorrow." Without another word Rosa briskly walked from Antonio's desk and out the door, muttering silent curses as she walked. After she was out of earshot Anetta turned to Antonio and began to speak.

"Are you sure she will understand?"

"Yes," Antonio replied, "she is strong, and this will pass over her before the sun rises. Besides, she hasn't even been told the worst of it."

"The worst?" Anetta questioned, "I would have thought that it would be the best considering."

"Normally, yes. It would be the best news for her to have ever been told. But over three years after she found out… I don't want to know what will happen to him when he gets here."

"_Mentore _is very smart; no doubt he will find a way to tide her over."

"Let us hope, _signora, _let us hope."

00100

Rosa barely slept that night, tossing and turning, not getting a single resting moment as she tried to forget that goddamn Assassin. _Why did he look so much like Ezio, is his death not enough for me to suffer? Not to mention that bastardo still owes me for the race _he _lost._ She hadn't opened the letter from '_Il Mentore' _yet, feeling contempt towards the Assassin's leader for a reason she couldn't grasp. She still had the haunting suspicion that '_Il Mentore'_ was the same Assassin she had seen at the Doge's palace. She felt the heat of the sun as it weaved through her window, the rays silently hitting her flesh, as well as something else. It was strange, a feeling that she was being watched…

She tensed as she heard the subtle breeze coming from outside, but that was impossible; her window was closed when she went to sleep. She heard a small creak come from her floorboards, confirming her suspicions, _someone's in my room!_ She leapt from her bed in her night shirt and slacks, her faithful stiletto clutched firmly in her hand. She caught sight of the end of a white robe tail as the intruder fled. She raced after the intruder and picked up a throwing knife from her pouch hung on the wall. She jumped onto the rooftop outside of her window, looking in all directions for whoever had intruded into her room. She lowered the throwing knife as she failed to find the intruder who had already slipped away. She huffed in annoyance as she clambered back into her room, replacing the knife back into it's pouch. She pulled on her shirt and boots, tightening the laces before she finally placed her favorite cap on her head, the gift from thirteen years ago fitting a perfectly as when Ezio had given it to her after her old cap had fallen into the river during their routine escape from the guards of Venezia.

She missed those days, the days that she had spent in the company of Ezio, the _Assassino Di Firenze. _Those days had been the best days of her life, not having laughed, or traded jibs with a friend like she had with Ezio ever again after them. She could still remember when Antonio had said that Ezio had gone to Roma to investigate the Borgia, and try to locate what they were so interested in. She had almost broken down and cried right there, in Antonio's office, having to quickly retreat to her room to hide the tears that began to leak from her eyes_. Why hadn't he told her, given her some kind of goodbye before he had gone? Why?_ But that was the past, and she had to focus on the future, perhaps a little thieving would help clear her mind. And so she set out into the streets of Venezia, searching for something to help her forget.

00100

Outside the canal entrance to the Thieves' Guild one of the Assassins stood waiting, a piece of parchment tucked into his hand tightly. The Assassin was male despite his female partner, both receiving their orders from Antonio to do odd jobs to help the guild reform some of what the Borgia had efficiently taken over. The Assassin turned his head as a flying form of white robes dropped down to his right, the Assassin immediately recognizing his superior.

"_Mentore,_" he greeted him, "We have done as you've asked. And we also were able to recover this from a Borgia ship that docked today." The Assassin held out the parchment in his hand, the higher ranked Assassin thanking him as he took it.

"_Grazie,"_ he said, "and what of the Borgia patrol that was lingering near the guild yesterday?"

"Dead," the Assassin replied, "Anetta took care of them -silently of course- last night as they made their rounds."

"_Va__ bene_, do you have anything else for me?"

"No, but the thieves' leader asked to see you. He said that their was something he had to ask you in person."

"_Grazie._ We do have much to discuss…"

**Aaaand down comes the cliffhanger. By the way, Anetta is actually based off one of the Assassin recruits; her name comes from a friend of mine. I tried to tie in some of both Rosa's and 'El Mentora's' personality. If anyone guesses who he is you get a shiny gold star! Anyways, reviews are always appreciated, constructive criticism as well, and flames… well why would you do that? Until next time **_**mia amici.**_


	2. Chapter 2

The Thieves' Guild was deadly silent as the night waned on, a scrape or clang of metal came every now and then but turned to the unnatural stillness that had fallen over the complex. One of the only lights on in the Guild's building was in Antonio's office where he talked with a most interesting visitor, _Il Mentore._ The Assassin sat in a chair across from Antonio, his cowl remaining on his face despite Antonio's attempt to make him take it off. In Antonio's hand was a cup of café, _Il Mentore_ had refused the offer of one as Antonio made it, anticipating the taste.

"So," The Guild master began, "_Il Mentore_ is your name now isn't it?"

"_Si,_" The Master Assassin replied, "My old name has been replaced by my title now."

"Well it's good to see you again-"

"Stop!" The Assassin interrupted, "we don't know who could be listening."

"_Si_," Antonio replied, "It is still hard to believe that you are now the most wanted man in Italia, and that is a hard list to climb."

"After all that's happened, is it that hard to believe?"

"I guess not." The thief took a drink of the café before slowly continuing, "But right now you aren't just running away from the Borgia are you? Care to explain why you haven't reviled yourself to her?"

"It would be too much, for me and her. He must remain dead for now; _Il Mentore_ has replaced him, at least until the Borgia are dealt with."

"You know how long that could take."

"Yes," the Assassin countered, "but it must be done, or else she will only be in danger. But enough of this, tell me what has happened in Venezia, I have heard bits and pieces, but not the entire story."

Antonio took a deep breath before beginning his long winded explanation, "it started nine years ago, four years after you left, Borgia ships arriving at the docks unannounced. The Doge attempted to make them leave Venezia, but two days after his speech to the Borgia he was killed, poison in his food. Afterward they began to drift further into the city, a new Doge, picked by the Borgia, helped them, granted them blessing at every turn. It was a year before we began to clash, the Borgia pushing into our territory, trying to crush all of their opposition. But we fought back. The battles were, and are, long and brutal, the Borgia killing more of my thieves by the day. We have been running scarce on resources, blockaded by the Borgia, which is why we weren't able to contact the Brotherhood."

"We would have come back here immediately, or at least I would have."

"I know, and that's why I stopped trying six years ago, you being on the Borgia's hitlist would not have aided you here. Regardless they still pushed us, forcing from the palace and back here, where we've had to make quick strikes on them for years. It was bad when some of our own turned over to the Borgia, bribes of money and pleasure. But it became worse."

"What happened?" the Assassin asked, suddenly becoming extremely interested.

"The Borgia started to target Rosa, it only lasted a month though. Someone had leaked information to the Borgia saying that she was my daughter, false, but enough for the Borgia to be convinced it would weaken me."

"_Bastardos!" Il Mentore _shouted as he shot up from his seat, almost trembling in anger.

"Calm down _mi amico._" Antonio said as he guided the enraged Assassin back into his chair, said Assassin sinking his face into his hands. "We dealt with the traitor who leaked that. But she remains a target, less of one now, but if you are known to be in Venezia, then it will be catastrophic."

"Why?" asked the Assassin, clearly confused at Antonio's words.

"Because, they also said that you two were close during your stay here. And if you were to be indentified here, and your name uncovered, it would be disastrous. Even so, I still think she should know, so she can be on her guard incase it comes to that."

"No." the Assassin commanded, "She must not, at least not yet."

"If you're sure."

"I am." The Assassin responded, "And now I purpose we strike back."

Antonio looked back to the Assassin with a look of question clear on his face, "And how could we do that?"

"A large strike. No doubt they will replace the Doge-"

"Which reminds me," Antonio cut in, "why the feather?"

"It is a symbol, the Brotherhood used drag a feather over the blood of their targets, a sign that the deed was done."

"I suspected as much, anyways, back to the strike."

"As I was saying, it will have to be large, and not by means of mass, but by meaning. It has to be a very meaningful target, so that the Borgia will feel the same threat that they felt in Roma."

"Wait," Antonio cut in, "you don't mean-"

"Yes," the Assassin smirked, "I do. Tomorrow we will take back the Seta from the Borgia, and show them that this guild is not weak any longer, its friends have arrived."

"More than you know." _Il Mentore _and Antonio instantly turned their heads to the source of voice. A man stepped out of the doorway and towards the two, his brown cloak and cowl giving off an air of intimidation.

"_La Volpe!_" Antonio exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to help the Brotherhood, and you. It would seem that you need all the help you can get. And I do believe that the old Brotherhood is still alive, correct _Il Mentore?_"

"_Si, amico._ It never left."

"Good," _La Volpe_ replied, "now I heard talk of taking back the Seta, and I think I can help."

"How so?" Antonio asked the thief.

"Tomorrow a ship arrives from Roma, a painter who had a sudden windfall decided that he needed different inspiration. On board are his many creations, and his part-time inventions. He needed help transporting them so I was gracious and sent my thieves to help him, and as an agreement we came to, he gave them passage here. An Assassin, Luca I believe, went with them."

"Luca, my very first student." _Il Mentore_ half-smiled at the thought of his fast-learning apprentice.

"So he says. Brought with them was a shipment of metal works, not too suspicious, simply an artist's recreations of the true materials, very accurate recreations."

"_La Volpe,_ this is perfect!" Antonio nearly shouted in joy, "now we have the men and supplies to make the assault, _Grazie mi Amico!"_

"_Bene, _but now I must take my leave; I have some things I must attend to." _Il Mentore_ went to the door, pausing only when Antonio called out to him.

"Your going to see her, correct? Be careful, she told me that someone was in her room last night, and she almost caught them."

"_Grazie."_ The Assassin stated as he walked out of the office, leaving the two thieves to continue their plotting.

00100

Rosa was standing in the crowds near the ports the next day, cutting some purses from unknowing nobles had stumbled into the crowded spaces. Antonio had announced that, officially, they were taking back the Seta, along with the help of the Brotherhood and _La Volpe._ Ugo had been sent over to the boat to help them move the weapons and armor back to their district. Supposedly Rosa was supposed to already know the artist who facilitated this little venture, Antonio had said he was an old friend of hers, but she didn't remember a single friend of hers that was a painter, or had gone to _Roma._ She sat on a bench next to the street entrance, keeping watch for the city guard, who weren't too happy to see thieves in the port, or anywhere at all for that matter.

She saw the familiar robes of the Assassins, the crest clear in the morning sun. The Assassin's name was Luca, or so he said, and he was the second most annoying Assassin she had met that day. First there was the one who hadn't even had the slightest clue how to climb up the Seta's walls, and now there was this one, a guy who thought he must be the best charmer in _Italia._ She greeted his advances warmly, warmly as in her fist connecting with his jaw. The Assassin had sat there stunned as she walked by him and greeted the Thieves who had come from _Roma. _

"Rosa!" She turned her head to the questioner, curious as to who on this boat knew her name. When she found the owner of the voice she stopped dead in the turn, a feeling of comfort in knowing that the man was alive, and another of pain as she was forced to remember the _Assassino Di Firenze._ Leonardo Di Vinci came half running down the dock over to her, childish excitement dancing in his eyes. She noticed that he certainly looked older than she had last seen him, his eyes told her all she needed to know, and the slight bits of grey hair on coming from under his hat and semi-clean shaven face.

"Leonardo?" Rosa felt nostalgia hit as he grabbed her shoulders and greeted her with his own special hospitality that he only showed to his closest friends. While Ezio was still in Venezia he had taken her to Leonardo's workshop where she had found him to be extremely over excited to find out who the little rose was that had taken Ezio's full interest. She smiled all the same at the antics of the artist as he let his own excitement take over.

"It has been so long! I have missed having you as a model for my paintings, say, when we get all of this unloaded, how about I show you the finished product of when I was last here? It will be my treat and if Ezio hadn't agreed to let me take it with me from the villa I-" he cut off as he caught himself in the middle of a very _sensitive_ subject with the thief. "_Mi Dispace_ I forgot what had happened for a second."

"Its fine," she assured him, "I have… developed a tolerance I guess."

Leonardo apologized again and sheepishly shrugged as he ran out of ideas on what to say, that is, until the Borgia showed their heads. "_Mio Dio, _this will not be good."

Rosa turned to the patrol of the guards and learned what had made Leonardo suddenly tense. She turned her head to Ugo and nodded towards the guards, Ugo, getting the signal, told some of the thieves to drop what they had and follow her lead. She quickly walked strait through the crowd to the guards, mentally readying herself to start running. She walked past them and swiped the lead guard's dangling pouch; it was almost instant, the guard fumbling around for his belt before seeing her holding his pouch up triumphantly. The other thieves followed her lead, stealing the other guards' money and then taking off in the opposite direction of her.

She was almost to the rooftops when the leader looked back to her, cursing under his breath before giving chase. She sprinted from roof to roof as quick as she could, dodging the archers who slowly began to accumulate behind her. She turned around the corner of one loose shingled platform and instantly realized her mistake. She suppressed a scream as she fell into the crowds, feeling the sharp pain of her foot twisting wrongly. She felt around her ankle as she assessed the damage, it wasn't broken or dislocated, but it was sprained enough to stop her from continuing her game of cat and mouse. Slowly the five guards she'd picked up circled her, the leader of the patrol stepping forward with a menacing leer on his lips.

Before either could speak a blade flew by the leader's head and into the chest of the guard next to him. The leader yelped as he jumped back, his face nearly clipped by the blade. She turned to where the knife had come from and found a familiar sight, a white robed man with several unconnected pieces of armor on top of the robes, his wrists stained red with the blood of the two guards his blades had dug into, their death almost instant. One guard tried to run but was met with an arrow in his back courtesy of the man's crossbow. The one who had first chased her pulled a sword from his belt, trying to appear unafraid in the white robed man's presence; he seemed familiar to both Rosa and the guard, although the guard was the one who had begun to accuse him of being an Assassin.

"_Assassino!" _The guard shouted, "_Assassino! _You are the man from the posters! The killer of the holy Pope!" the man was barely able to make another sound before a deafening bang rolled through the air, emitting a thunder that rang through the street.

The Assassin, _Il Mentore, _turned to the crowds and spoke, his voice smooth and low as he spoke, a commanding aura surrounding him. "People of _Venezia!_ The Borgia's men lie! I did not kill the Pope; it was Cesare Borgia who did!" He lowered his voice and stepped towards her, the affect from his words enough to shake the crowd. As he approached her she noticed the Assassin's crest on his waist, and the smirk that adorned _Il Mentore's _face. With his eyes hidden from her by the cowl that all the Assassins wore he appeared to be more mysterious, showing neither pride nor joy for his victory.

A patrol came hurtling down the streets and he readied himself, pulling the sword he kept at his belt and held it before him threateningly. She tried to get up from where she'd fallen, watching the Assassin stab his sword through the middle of a guard as he charged at him. She faltered in mid step as she put pressure on the sprained joint, a searing pain spiking up her leg and pulling it from under her. On her way back to the ground she slammed into the corner of a merchant's stand, and then lapsing into unconsciousness.

00100

Rosa found herself in a very, different, situation. Her vision was blurred, a mass of red and light brown flowed in front of her, sounds distorted by a fuzzy static that rang in her ears. Slowly the room came into focus, sketches and plans for various machines littered in crates and some hung on the back wall, a strange bat-like thing sat in one corner. Slowly she began to make out the frantic mutterings of Leonardo Di Vinci, his hands slowly binding a cloth around her sprained ankle.

"Leonardo?" she asked, her voice slurred while she was still waking up.

"Ah," He answered, "You're awake. It was very strange to have someone knocking at my door and then only finding you, unconscious, laying in front of my workshop. Your head suffered quite a blow, but luckily enough for us both it had not broken skin. Your ankle is sprained, so I wouldn't advise jumping from rooftops anytime soon either."

"_Grazie, _do you know who brought me here?"

"No, but I do know that, starting a couple of minutes ago, the Seta was being attacked by the Brotherhood and the thieves' combined strength. Antonio sent a man to come get you, Ugo I think it was, but he was sent back by an Assassin."

"Why wasn't he allowed to stay?"

"Well, I think you should ask her, she might know." Rosa looked over his shoulder and spotted the white cowl of an Assassin by the door, their face turned away from her. The Assassin turned as she heard Leonardo, slowly approaching the desk where she had been resting. As she got closer Rosa recognized the blond-haired Assassin who had been in Antonio's office when she had returned from their failed storming of the Doge's palace. As the woman approached she started to speak, the same mysterious tone that she found all the Assassin's frequently used.

"It was _Mentore's_ orders; he said that you were not to be disturbed as Leonardo fixed your ankle. But, if I may ask, do you know _Mentore?_"

"No, I've never heard his name before, does he even have one?" The Assassin simply stared.

"Yes, but we aren't allowed to say anymore," Her face almost became down cast at the words, "But we do know he was important to the Brotherhood and still is now. It is said that he is the most important Assassin to be born since the time of Al Mualim."

"Who?"

"He was once the leader of the Brotherhood. And why I asked was that he was the one who saved you, not us. In situations where there are a great many opponents he usually lets us take care of them, to help with our training, but he didn't this time. Instead he fought them all off, he left quite a large pile of bodies behind in the process but I've never seen him so…viscous. And so far I've never seen him react like that to anything, ever."

Rosa considered the woman's words for a second before grabbing the single crutch that Leonardo had retrieved for her. She limped out of the room, saying goodbye to Leonardo and Anetta before shutting the door behind her. Her thoughts gravitated towards what had happened before, to the Assassin _Il Mentore._ He was strange, like she should know him but didn't for some reason, like a ghost of a memory, not completely full but still there, at the back of her mind… She looked up from the cloud of her thoughts and found herself back in the district she called her home. The musty smell of poverty, unwilling defeat, and the mysterious layer of tension whenever they or the Borgia struck one another.

She walked up to a doctor on the street, his beaked mask swinging from side to side as he looked for potential customers. As he spotted her he looked over her ankle from afar as she approached, also inspecting the way she moved with the crutch.

"_Signora,"_ He greeted her, "may I offer you a seat for the moment? You look as if you've been walking for days with that crutch." Did she look that bad? She tried to think of how long she'd been walking as she sat in the chair he offered her, gasping in pain as she accidentally put pressure on her ankle. "May I?" He asked.

"_Si."_ He immediately reached down and gently cradled her ankle, slowly unwinding the cloth from around it. The skin had become a puffy red and had swollen up like a tumor. He gingerly prodded it, noting when she gasped and where he touched. He wound her ankle in a fresh cloth before giving it a final inspection. He walked over to his stand for a second and rummaged around inside the cabinets, shoving aside bottles and flasks as he searched. He stopped suddenly when a man came up to him and patted him on the arm, whispering a few words in his ear before walking off as if nothing happened.

"_Signora,_" He began while pulling a white sheet from under his stand, "I need you to lie down, quickly! We don't have much time." She looked at him curiously and began to ask him why when he cut her off and half dragged her off the seat and onto the ground. He straitened her out on the side of the street, bringing a finger to his lips to signal her to be silent. And then he pulled the sheet over her.

For a minute nothing happened, no movement from the doctor, not the drawing of a knife or any weapon, just the crowd. She then heard footsteps, loud, thunderous booms that jingled with heavy plates of armor accompanied by weaker, more agile steps.

"And what do we have here?" An annoyingly high voice asked, "Would you care to explain this body on the ground?" she heard the doctor scuffle over next to her, his voice coming from between her and the guards.

"It was brought to me by a merchant whose stall was busted open when she fell from a roof."

"Well then, get rid of it. I don't want it stinking up the streets while we're patrolling."

"Of course, I shall take care of it after I close tonight."

"Not good enough." She heard the lighter steps coming closer. "I want it gone now _Stronzo!_" The steps got closer and she heard the doctor start muttering things under his breath, trying to find a way to get her out safely. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a wet splatter hit the ground, a body soon following it, the sound just as wet. Two of the same sounds came and more bodies fell to the ground, and more scuffling of the doctor's feet. The sheet was lifted and she saw the beaked mask of the doctor again, red stains covering the front in a spray of blood.

She looked behind him and saw the white hooded form of one of the Assassins standing behind him; the Assassin's sleeves stained a deep red. The Assassin came closer as the doctor gingerly set his hand on her forehead.

"Not good…" The Doctor picked her up and quickly handed her off to the Assassin, his words coming out in a quick blurb. "Take her to the Seta! She is feverish and needs to see Antonio, what are you doing? Go!" the Assassin took off and Rosa tried to yell in protest, but finding it hard to as she blacked out…

**A/N And that's it, what a cliffhanger. Thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, and all of that stuff, it really helps to know someone actually reads this. See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N And I'm back from the dead! Isn't that great? Sorry about my lateness with this update, I've had some disagreements with my internet browser lately so it was rather annoying. But regardless I'm back, I'm very thankful for all the reviews and other things, and I'm also hoping you'll enjoy this chapter, slight warning, it's a bit longer than the others. Enjoy.**

It was warm underneath the sheets of soft cotton as Rosa woke, her eyes barely opening from lack of energy. The shapes and colors blurred together to form a blob that strangely resembles Ugo's attempt at art. She moved her hand around the bed, feeling up from where it lay beside her and to her head, removing the cloth from over her. Sunlight shined in her face and she immediately shut her eyes from the burning sensation from her unadjusted pupils. She slowly sat up in the bed she was in, noting that her ankle still hurt like hell as she did so. Slowly she began to see through the hazy mist that covered her eyes and saw a single white robbed form standing near the door. Before she could say anything the person left, a small tail of robes following them.

She sat up straighter in the bed, twisting around so she could see where she was. She found herself in a very nice room of sorts, at least, a lot nicer then the ones back at the guilds' main buildings. Her clothes were across the room sitting on a chair, the articles of clothing perfectly symmetrical, and her stiletto was on top of the pile. She tried to get up when she hissed out in pain, her ankle flaring up at the movements she was making. She flopped back into the sheets and sighed, knowing that she wasn't going anywhere, and fast. Her eyebrow twitched as she heard a familiar voice laughing from just outside the room, and I didn't help that she suspected it was at her. She leaned her head up as someone closed the door, turning around in a frill of green fabric as they silently began to move towards the bed.

"How are you Rosa?" A familiar, and at the moment, very annoying voice asked, their amusement at her situation very much evident in their speech.

"Well I don't know Antonio, how would you feel after being chased by those _bastardos_, falling from two floors up, and passing out without knowing why?"

"Hey, I was just curious _bella Rosa,_ I mean no harm." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Curiosity killed the cat _idiota._" She huffed and then sat up in the bed a little more, looking over her mentor, doctor, and guild leader.

"True," he chuckled, "but I'm not a cat. And you passed out from stress, twisting your ankle and being chased, along with all this fighting, just seemed to be too much for your head to handle, so you passed out."

"Did we win?"

"Yes, but it seems that _Il Mentore_ was right, it was only a victory in meaning, and not substantial." Rosa looked at him, confused by what he was saying.

"What do you mean, not substantial? We got the Seta back didn't we?" Antonio turned his gaze out the window and sighed, his hands resting on the frame.

"We did, but the Borgia are too strong. The Seta was only one of their minor ports, in other words, we didn't even scratch them." Rosa frowned at him, the confusion clearing from her gaze.

"But we can strike them, can't we? Back before… Before back then we were able to hit them hard with help from one Assassin, so why can't we now?" Antonio sighed again.

"Because, back then the Borgia only thought of Venezia as a stepping stone, a way to get into _Roma_, but now that they have been almost completely run out of their twisted empire's home they turned to _Firenze_ and _Venezia_ to become their new base. It began when he started to fight them, when we lost connection from the outside. As of two years ago we were contacted by an Assassin, a recruit _Il Mentore_ sent to assassinate a noble under the Borgia's control, she said that in months, maybe a year, _Il Mentore_ will have killed Cesare Borgia and Rodrigo. He did, Rodrigo was killed with a poisoned apple by Cesare, and Cesare has been imprisoned, somewhere outside of _Roma_. After that they disappeared, slowly pulling out of the city and of into their other conquests."

"Then what."

"They turned their full attention to _Venezia _and _Firenze_, and now we're here, their conquest was complete the day the brotherhood began to fight them. We lost _Venezia._"

"That can't be the end of it though, aren't we still fighting?"

"Yes, but it's an uphill battle, their reach is too vast and too strong, the Assassins are having a hard time handling them anyways, what with several Borgia soldiers escaping _Roma_, and all of them knowing _Il Mentore's _real name. Which could cause a lot of trouble for us in the future." Rosa starred blankly at him.

"And why's that?"

Antonio laughed, "Because the Borgia didn't like him before he was _Il Mentore_. And they probably want his head on a platter by now." Antonio started his way to the door, pausing in mid-step to turn back to Rosa who still lay in the bed. "In three days there's going to be a party held by the new Doge, _Il Mentore_ will be there. And if he succeeds, a Doge that is loyal to us will be appointed. I hope you'll be there." And then he spun around and left, the atmosphere left by his sudden seriousness hanging in the morning light as if it was a chandelier that illuminated a large ballroom. She pulled herself back into the sheets of the bed, knowing that if she was going to be at that party in three days she'd need to have her ankle as healed as it could get, and rest would help that. Slowly she drifted of into dreams, her eyes slowly fluttering shut, the thoughts in her head swirling into a single black picture, and then she fell into slumber.

00100

The party was very much like _Carnival_, the Borgia's corrupt Doge hosted a special party that took several of the highest nobles and captured them in their ever reaching influence. Out side the groups, jesters preformed tricks, mild-mannered games played, and many other activates that excited the wealthy crowd. Among them were the courtesans, the givers and takers of _Venezia's_ great trade, money in exchange for items or service, theirs being brought into the public less though. In other parts there were the guard, ever watchful and waiting, ready to pounce on any disturbance should it appear. They were all tense at the moment, a feeling of unrest settling over them as they waited, the air was tight, the party spinning, and the feeling soon became dread in its truest form.

Something was going to happen, the courtesans knew it, the Borgia, the Doge, and even the _uninvited_ guests came to have the same feeling. All but one of them didn't have the slightest idea as to why this was so, and the exception being the disguised thieves. The Brotherhood had something planned, something that Anetta had only hinted to earlier in the evening. But the effect was appropriate, the tension created an opening in the air-tight defense that the guards created, their minds clogged with thoughts on what could or may happen, never staying with their eyes as they scanned the crowd. The thieves had done well with disguising themselves, the Brotherhood had supplied them with the clothes of jesters and guards alike, the positions each one took was carefully opened by the Assassins, and not a single guard screamed.

Antonio was dressed as one of the more agile guards, his armor spaced out to fit how he liked it, easy to move, to be fluid, and steal. A dagger, custom made in _Roma_ by one of the Brotherhood's allies, Bartolommeo's blacksmith, and was supplied by Leonardo Di Vinci, as a token of luck. All of the thieves had been given weapons from Di Vinci's ship, the blades being greatly appreciated throughout the guild. After they'd been spread out amongst the crowd it truly began, the bodies moving into the crowd, white, silver, and black cowls filled the crowds, the color and clothing of each was decided by their preference of disguise. But the thieves hadn't seen _Il Mentore _in the crowd, he was nowhere to be found, at first he'd exchanged words with Antonio, telling him what his signal to strike was, and then he simply vanished, like a shadow in the midnight scene.

But he had doubts about the plan; it was very risky, and very, very dangerous, if one of the thieves screwed up it would be all over. No more resistance to the Borgia, the guild would be wiped out. But of course, it was unlikely that it would turn that way, there wasn't a second thought in _Il Mentore's _mind that he could let that happen, especially with Rosa in attendance. In fact, Antonio's musings were countered by the Master Assassin's own, his plan shifting with the variables that presented themselves. His plan was simple; they get in, kill the Doge, and get out. But the last part wouldn't happen unless the thieves were on time with their distraction, otherwise the Assassins would be left out in the open where the few remaining gunman stood watch.

_Il Mentore _was the only Assassin without a disguise, the only one that would immediately be identified if they were caught, but he was careful. He had already prepared the way for himself, assassinating the guards who would be positioned in his way was an easy task for one such as himself. No coincidence insinuated. He was just that good at what he did, and he wouldn't be over confident or coincided about it, only showing what skills he'd already shown before. The assassinations had been none to difficult, taking some from inside hay stacks, drawing them into alleys and striking them when the curiosity proved too great to ignore. And he certainly didn't forget having to pull one from a gondola and into the water with his hidden blade stabbed into his heart.

After he'd done that there was nothing to do but wait, to wait in silence and solitude, planning another escape should his primary fail. His eagle sharp eyes scanned the crowd as he waited for his target to show himself, for his way in to be free and the kill swift and silent. The Doge should have arrived by now, the party was well on its way and the crowds were becoming restless, which only added to the guards' troubles. But with the tension building it would give him his opening, the guards too tense to keep track of all of the people and the chaotic nature of the people adding to the confusion. Once the kill was made there would be an instance of pure insanity, the instance that others ignored, but the Assassin embraced. It was in those moments that they exploited their enemy's weaknesses; every possible way to turn the tables further to their side was taken in.

But of course he would still be waiting for the Doge for now, a silent vigil out of sight of the guards. He sat upon a bench marked with two red sheets of cloth, the same neutrality passing over him as he simply blended to the crowd, all suspicion avoided. He spotted the form of a thief coming through the crowd, his disguise that of the Borgia's messengers. He swiftly made his way through the crowd and to the Master Assassin, his strides edging away from the patrol passing the bench by. Around the messenger the Assassins formed a perimeter, and unseen barrier to keep any unwanted ears from picking up the conversation. They were told not to cause suspicion with the guards but throw off any trouble makers that came close.

The Assassins, except _Il Mentore_, were all in disguise, capes, different shades of color, shiny articles of clothing. They were disguised as guests, as simple nobles with out name or cause. On all of their left arms were crests, red insignias with the symbol of their creed woven into it. Their weapons were hidden on their forms, daggers inside of belts, throwing knives just inside a billowing shirt. Some had crossbows hidden on them, the machines broken into two pieces and placed inside their disguise. The hidden blade that all the Assassins used as their greatest tool, their deadliest weapon, was in the bracers on their left forearm, the advanced killing devices ready for use at a moments notice. He had been prepared.

The messenger sat beside _Il Mentore_ and shifted his weight silently down, turning his head to the side and down, speaking to him yet not speaking to him at all. "Antonio says they are all ready. The men are in place and archers taken care of on the north wall. Several of the guards have been replaced as an improvised plan; they'll take care of anything that comes from the east."

"Is that all?"

"No, the boats are prepared and Bartolommeo's men are holding up the Papal guards who are escorting the Doge."

"The troops are here?"

"_Si,_ and the Doge has been delayed by them, one of the Borgia's 'protection' plans." _Il Mentore_ pulled a piece of cloth from his belt and wrapped a throwing knife in it, careful to keep the edge from cutting into the fabric. He handed it to the messenger while he spoke.

"_Grazie,_ take this to Antonio, he will know what to do." The messenger smoothly took the concealed knife from him and stood, not even glancing back as he left. The Master Assassin waited for several minutes before moving, standing in a crowd that gathered before a stage that the Borgia announced would be where the Doge spoke from. Several guards closed in around the stage, forming a vast perimeter around the raised platform keeping the people away from it. The guards cleared apart a path for the Doge to his left, the great leader of _Venezia_ smiling and waving to the crowd as he began his speech,

_Il Mentore_ moved to his right, his form obscured by the bodies around him while he gazed upon the podium that the Doge would speak from. He loosened three throwing knives into his right hand as he began to prepare for the kill, apprehension shut out from force of will. He watched the Doge approach the podium with building anticipation, his muscles relaxing rather than tensing, a side affect of his experience. The Doge cleared his throat before gazing over the crowd, his eyes showing a false mask of sincerity over his insincere words.

"Grand people of _Venezia_, I am here now, humbled as I am, at this post. This place of vigil over the city." The Assassins stirred, _Il Mentore_ began moving towards the stage with the three knives firmly in his right hand.

"I believe that with this power I can clean up the city of it's infidel vermin, the rebellious dogs that hound us during the day and night." Some people cheered, others remained in a deathly silence, seeing through the first of his many layered lies.

"But I must warn you my people, it will not be done just like that! No, I need your support to end _Venezia's_ troubles; we need your support to defeat them!" The Master Assassin handed off two of the three knives to his Assassins, each giving an affirmative before melding back into the crowd.

"And with that support we will finish our troubles, exterminate the sickness, cut off the wounded limb!" More people cheered, affirmations of his lies corrupting the minds of the many lords and ladies there at the gathering. It was the time to strike. Just as the people reached the peak of their cheering, when the crowd was wild and uncontrolled, when the Borgia believed they had the people once again, he struck. The two other Assassins struck down the guards at his sides, the knives digging into the flesh of their backs as they met their targets with a deadly impact. As they fell the crowd started to notice, the guards tensed, but it was too late.

_Il Mentore_ threw his own knife, the blade striking the guard only steps in front of him in the neck making him quickly fall out of the Assassin's way. He pushed his way out of the crowd, shoving aside the confused masses as he built up speed, a dead run once he broke free of their wall. And then time seemed to slow, the guards simply watched, the thieves looked on in awe, the Assassins saw their _Mentore_ in action. His foot struck the platform as he vaulted himself into the air, his robes flying out behind him in a torrent of red and white. His legs drew in and prepared for the landing, his predatory pounce coming into form. His left arm drew back, the forearm bent, blade extended, the pose of his ancestors before him and those who would come after, the perfect form that the Assassins perfected and re-perfected overtime.

And then he was on him. His blade dug into the Doge's throat as they landed on the floor of the stage, his bent feet pressed against the man's chest as his eyes met deep chestnut brown as the Assassin did his deed. The Master Assassin's blade slid out with a slick, fluid motion as he looked on into the Doge's dying eyes, seeing the fear, shock, anger, and other flooding emotions flashing by in seconds before the inevitable stillness descended.

"_Requiescat en pace._" The words that had left his lips many times before and would escape them again hung in the air around him as he closed the eyes of his target. Their first reaction was silence, horror struck as the kill was made, and then it turned to chaos. Antonio took his cue and he and his thieves drew their weapons and killed the closest guard to them with simple and precise stabs in the neck or abdomen, drawing blood from the ruptured skin as they did so. _Il Mentore_ stood up from the body of his target, the man who was now gone forever, and drew his blade simultaneously. The sword gleamed in the torch light as the battle began, the blade shining in a wordless cry for blood.

The Master Assassin dropped from the podium and stabbed his blade into an oncoming guard, the blade passing through with a practiced ease that seemed partial to only him. His eyes cast over the crowd, spotting all of his recruits immersed in battle with swords drawn and battle cries let loose. The sword slid out equal fluidity as he turned, a small leap giving him momentum as the blade passed in and out of another unfortunate guard. He cast his eyes up again as he moved, his actions mirrored by his fellows as the crowds began to disperse into the night, which destroyed their cover. He swiftly made his way over to the unoccupied dock that sat behind the stage, it's deck harboring several gondolas where undisguised thieves stood waiting.

The Assassins gather onto the gondolas along with the disguised thieves, all waiting for his affirmation to leave. He hesitated before gettingonto the boats, looking back with a cautious scan for any stragglers.

"Wait! Wait!" He had turned just in time, a single disguised thief ran up to him nearly out of breath, his voice and face panicked.

"What is it?" _Il Mentore_ asked the thief, his voice inquisitive and a little apprehensive.

"I-It's Rosa, she-she's being attacked by the B-Borgia, she t-tripped while we ran and she told me to run ahead."

"Where is she!" His voiced expressed his worry and slight fear as he starred down at the thief through his cowl. His muscles tensed as he controlled himself and calmed down, a cool demeanor falling onto him as the thief pointed him in the right direction. "_Grazie_." He said after the thief pointed and he rushed off, leaving a final order to Luca for them to go on and leave, that he would catch up once he recovered Rosa. And after that he ran, he ran like the whole Papal army was behind him trumpeting and galloping on horses and boots. The sounds of a struggle met his ears as he saw Antonio fighting several guards at once, protecting the younger thieves as they escaped into the canals.

He rounded a corner and took in the situation in seconds, Rosa stood in the center, limping on one side and bleeding on another. Around her were the Papal guards who had given Bartolommeo's men the slip and followed the Doge to the party. They circled around her and gave her no room to so much as breath with quick jabs and slashes which she dodged a good majority off, but she wasn't that fast. He pulled his crossbow from his back and in one fluid movement shot an arrow into the guard on the far side of the circle, the whisper of the wind following his shot. The Papal soldiers turned to meet the newcomer as he turned the corner and joined the battle with an emotionless, mysterious smirk adorning his face.

The Master Assassin raised his left arm as he came barreling forward, releasing a quick shot from the pistol built into the bracer on his left hand. The shot met it's mark and his arm flew back from the power of the recoil, but along with experience came practice and his body span with the recoil sending the extended blade on his right wrist into the unprepared back of another soldier who arched back in pain from the blow to his spine. He pulled the blade from the flesh and begun spin again, his unconscious instinctively using the techniques he had taught him self over years. He crouched into the spin, his robes creating a swirling pin wheel of red and white as his deadly move began. The crouched ended with the spin and the momentum sent his left blade into the weak metal near the soldier's solar plexus, the blade sinking into skin quickly and then out as the other went in as well.

He pulled his blade out again and turned to his left, his arm rising to block an oncoming sword that flew towards his chest. With the movement his right arm swung in a wide arc that struck the soldier right in the throat as it passed, setting him into a gurgle as he fell to the ground dying. The Master Assassin shifted his right foot back behind him into a defensive stance while another soldier brandishing a spear tried his luck against the Assassin. The spear rushed towards the chest of the white robed Assassin and he reacted, his movement quick, precise and fluid, each with purpose and strength. He parried against the shaft of the spear with his right forearm, his hand wrapping around the same shaft as he did so keeping a firm grip on the spear. He pulled the spear to him and used the momentum of the soldier's attack to help him as he did. His left hand gripped the shaft as well as he kicked out into the guard's stomach and pulled the spear forcefully out of the hands of the Borgia's follower.

He twirled the spear around and drove it into the soldier pelvis before pulling it back quickly and roughly, spilling little blood onto the ground while doing as such. He gathered up the spear and swung it again, this time with more deadly precision and focus that reflected his own status as an Assassin. The spear's tip drug through the remaining two soldier's throats with a quick and very much slick sound as it passed through. The soldiers fell to the ground clutching their throats as he dropped the spear to the ground, apparently done using the weapon. He turned his deep eyes casting over the scene until he found himself looking into the reflective eyes of the female thief that was driven to the ground by her injury.

"_Ezio?"_

**A/N And that's a rap for this chapter, I know, what a cliffhanger. Anyways reviews are appreciated along with any other kinds of comments. I find them very helpful. Also, I've been meaning to get around to it and finally found a place to put some responses to the various reviews I've gotten, it'll be in the next chapter.**


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